LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

Fred_Paris · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:12 am Subject: Dijon 10th-11th of June races reports

AJ, Hans and I were in France last week end for the Dijon Wic races.

I have to thank AJ who made a 8 hours trip by car just for the event !

Hans and I were travelling on Saturday morning from london to paris, and then we travelled by car to Dijon, we were slightly off time to make it in time (the race was at 16:30 and we left paris at 12 and get stuck in traffic jam just outside paris…) We first fthought of leaving AJ race the team time trial without us, but we were carrying his skinsuit for the race, so we drove…)

A couple of hours later we were in Dijon in time (I just hope I won't receive a letter asking me to sent back my driving license ^^ )

After a short warm up we were ready for a start of the 7 km team time trial schedule at 16:40, unfortunately the organisation was slightly late and we started something like an hour later than planned. 29 teams took part in the time trial race, by teams of three to five skaters (the team time is the time of the third skater crossing the line). The track was a 1.4 kilometer a long straight down to a round-about and then straight up to a 90 degrees sharp turn. We kind of strugled during the race as we couldn't afford to drop any of us. But we managed to complete and took the 17th place among the others national teams. (can't remmenber what was the time).

We went to the pasta party afterwards and had a chance to watch the footage of the time trial made by roller TV I suppose (I really should stick my arms in my back when there's a video camera around..)

Then we went to the hotel , I lost once again rock paper scisors… AJ and I were racing in the 30 kilometers open race, and hans in the WIC marathon.

I managed to get a proper warm up, but finished it too late before the start and the start line was already packed, and as expected with all these people in front of me I didn't have a chance to get in the front pack, not even I chased them on my own for a couple of kilometers and then I waited for the a pack of 20 skaters, unfortunately most of them had no intention to skate, I made several attempt to split the pack by breaking away but it didn't work. In the end I took the lead of the pack three laps from the finish and lead for 3 kilometers to drop off some of them. In the end I launched the sprint a kilometer from the line but none of the skaters in the pack followed me as they were waiting to get closer, and I finished cruising. Just really need to get at the front on the start line in this kind of race ( I mean open races)

I finished 37th out of 300 with a not so good 56.5 minutes time, but I enjoyed the race Smile

Sure Hans and AJ will make their own race reports, It was funny to see Hans so unhappy with his pack ( wich was the first pack of non elite skaters).

We should find pictures and videos of the races on some of the french board later this week.

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Anne-Jelmer · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:47 am Subject:

My debute as a Londonskater in Dijon! The three of us started on the team timetrial.
And Hans and Fred sure gave me something to think about. Hans shouting 'come on AJ stay with me' (or stay with Fred). And I shouting 'Wait for me'.
The best motivation tachnique Hans was on the final straight 'Now give me everything you got!'
What did he think I was doing on the laps before? Well, a painfull experience in several ways

I had a kind of illigal start on the open race. All the starting numbers were taken. So I started with a number of the recreational tour in the open race. Everybody was having numbers starting with 3 hundred or 5 hundred. Mine was a high sevenhundred.
At the start I got right between Fred, but one of Freds teammates from PHC blocked me so I ended op in the pack behind Fred's. I was a bit strugeling on the last bit of the uphill, then getting back to the pack on the downhill part. But after 8 laps I lost the pack and skated solo for 2 laps.
Found another group, and had a good sprint finishing 4th or 5th of the group, time 1:01:01.

Not happy with my skating, but room for improvement.

Gav · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:51 am Subject:

Well done guys Smile

Lessons to be learnt for sure, of course, as always!

AJ, congrats on your first LSST experience... get used to Hans shouting at you. He seems to do it all the time to everyone Wink

And there's always room for improvement! Le Mans here we come!

Hans · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:04 pm Subject:

RACE REPORT:

Team time trial: This was a first for me so I had little idea of what to expect and AJ, Fred and I spent some time in the afternoon (after our rushed road trip for Paris) discussing strategies and getting used to skating with each other. The organizers did let us down quite a bit with the delay of 1 hour before we got on the track. Once we got started, things got 'interesting' and we all tried to keep pushing each other and staying together (the clock stops when the third, in our case last skater, crosses the line) to get a good time seeing as how there were only three of us. I was very pleased with the way we all responded and supported each other during the event and (how quickly AJ forgave me for the rather vocal encouragement in the final straight when he had nothing left in the tank). Fred for making sure we looked cool crossing the line (very important).

Marathon: This was the most bizarre race I have ever been in, I jumped on the back of the elite pack at the start and stayed with them for a while, my half marathon split was 00:34, then as they kicked again and the weather started to take its toll, the pack split up and I was left with the slower national men's pack, in which no one wanted to work at the front, I suppose with hindsight given the heat I should not have been surprised, this made me rather mad as I saw a good marathon time slipping away and led me to make a few rash and silly decisions during the race. I went out to the front for quite a long lead on five occasions, and tried hard to inject some pace, but each time the pack just let me go and no one broke with me, hence the second half of the race was really slow in comparison to the first half. It did however get interesting about 3 laps from the end when a group of us kicked again and left the pack to race to the finish... I came second in that final sprint.... really peeved at:

my sprinting at the moment (no, Gav I don't want to talk about it , but will be working VERY HARD on it after Le Mans) and
the final time, 1:16 when it could have been a really quick race.

High points for me:

It was really nice of AJ to stay around for a bit to return the encouragement before driving back, it was really appreciated,
Fred for a moment of sublime class, when I threw my water bottle to him before the final sprint and he stopped it under his foot in a manner which would have made Ronaldinio proud... Its officially world cup season
I am now starting to make things happen in the pack as opposed to reacting to breaks all the time.
Did not repeat the mistake that I made in Lille, and was near the front for the final sprint... would have been nice to win my final sprint

Michi · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 658 Location: Hamburg

Congratulations to all these good results!

A bit out of topic:

Fred_Paris · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:26 pm Subject:

Pictures can be found :

Monpetiler album 1

Monpetlier album 2

Baptor Album Photo

roller en ligne Dijon

the team during the time trial :

Fred_Paris · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:10 pm Subject:

some more :

http://www.roller-numerique.net/media/gallery/serie.php?id_album=82
http://www.asphalte-roller.com/phpwebgallery/category.php?cat=124

AJ final sprint :

http://www.roller-numerique.net/media/gallery/img.php?id_img=10885

Anne-Jelmer · Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:41 am Subject:

Fred solo:
http://www.roller-numerique.net/media/gallery/img.php?id_img=10761

Fred_Paris · Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:20 am Subject:

oh and Hans hawk for the line Smile

Fred_Paris · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 1:57 pm Subject:

and the team again from a late gallery

http://www.flickr.com/photos/francois_and_marie/sets/72157594163757141/

Anne-Jelmer · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:02 am Subject:

I just noticed that I am totaly out of phase with the rest of the team Embarassed